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Lexington and Concord
Eric Shadle Background The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the first battle of the Revolutionary War. The battle was fought on April 19, 1775 (Britannica, paragraph 1). Before this battle, tensions between Britain and America had been rising rapidly (Henry Steele, paragraph 1). America was tired of Britain’s rule over America and they felt like Britain was exploiting the American citizens. Many of the taxes that were levied on the Americans were seen as unfair. Eventually, small conflicts arose like the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and protests but until the Battle of Lexington and Concord, there was no clear out break of war between the two countries. Many people think that the revolutionary war started before the Battle of Lexington and Concord, but it is argued that the Battle of Lexington and Concord was the official start of the war (Gregory Urwin, paragraph 1). The Battle of Lexington and Concord was significant in three ways: it was the first battle of the Revolutionary war, Americans could defend themselves, and that the American army was organized and they had prepared a strategy. British Plan of Secrecy Britain’s first plan to end the war in America was supposed to be kept in secret (History.com, paragraph 3). Their plan was to march on Lexington where two revolutionary leaders resided: Sam Adams and John Hancock (Charles Rivers, location 56). The thought behind this was that if America lost their leadership they would surrender and the war would be over quickly. After they would seize the revolutionary leaders, they would march to Concord where there was a large supply of American ammunition (Boston Loyalist, paragraph 6). Unfortunately for the British, the Americans found out about this plan and Paul Revere, William Dawes, Dr. Samuel Prescott were sent to warn Lexington and Concord (Gregory Urwin, paragraph 2). By the time the British troops marched to Lexington, the entire countryside knew about the British’s plan (Henry Steele, paragraph 2). “''The troops no sooner got over the ferry, which was about one mile over, than alarms were spread throughout the country, by firing of cannon, ringing of bells, and post riders; all this was planned before that time (Boston Loyalist, paragraph 2).”'' This is an account form a loyalist that lived in Boston. This account shows that the Americans were prepared for and attack by the British. When John Hancock and Sam Adams heard the news, they fled from Lexington and they were not captured''' (History.com, paragraph 3). Paul Revere rode to Concord but on his way he was captured by a British road block, but Prescott managed to get past this and warn the colonists in Concord '''(History.com, paragraph 3). Battle of Lexington On April 19, British troops arrived in Lexington. They found that militiamen were waiting for them there (Henry Steele, paragraph 3). One of the British Generals yelled “Throw down your arms! Ye villains, ye rebels (Henry Steele, paragraph 7).” Then one shot were fired but no one really knows which side the shot was fired from''' (Gregory Urwin, paragraph 3). This account from a Lexington militia man says “Lay down your arms, you damned rebels, or you are all dead men. Fire!” ''This is stating that the British fired first but this has not been verified. After the first shot the British began to fire. Order could not be restored after these shots and there was not turning back '(History.com, paragraph 4). The Revolutionary war had officially started. Eight militiamen lay dead and ten were wounded (History.com, paragraph 4). The remaining militiamen were then ordered to disperse and the British soldiers continued their march to Concord (Henry Steele, paragraph 8). Battle of Concord While the British were marching to Concord the colonists that lived in Concord had received word that they were going to be attacked and their town ransacked . The colonists then began to hide and destroy the ammunition so the British could not get it (Charles Rivers, location 209). A small number of militiamen had gathered in Concord but they knew that they were going to be defeated so they decided to wait to attack (Charles Rivers, location 209). When the British arrived they found very little ammunition and they decided to burn it since there was so little (History.com, paragraph 5). The militia numbers were growing so they decided to attack the British at the North Bridge in Concord. The British sent men to fight the militia but they were outnumbered. The British fired the first shots and they killed two minutemen and wounded four others. Then the militiamen fired at the British and they killed three men and wounded thirteen others'(History.com, paragraph 5)'. This was the first time America fired shots at the British. The British retreated and continued to search Concord for four hours (History.com, paragraph 6). During these four hours militiamen were continuously showing up and the colonist’s numbers were growing rapidly (Charles Rivers, location 224). British Return to Boston The British, after failing their mission, decided to return to Boston. As they were marching back to Boston, militiamen had spread out among the path to Boston and they began to fire at the vulnerable British troops from behind trees, walls, and houses (Britannica, paragraph 1). This tactic was devastating the British numbers because the troops were out in the open and they did not know where the fire was coming from. When the British reached Lexington, a fresh force of British soldiers met them there and they started firing at the relentless militiamen (Charles Rivers, location 236). They were hoping that the militiamen would be scared of the new force of British soldiers but that was not the case. The militiamen decimated the British force and chased them back to Boston (British Account, paragraph 4). Significance of the Battle of Lexington and Concord The Battle of Lexington and Concord was significant in three ways: it was the first battle of the Revolutionary war, Americans could defend themselves, and that the American army was organized and they had prepared a strategy. Before the Battle of Lexington and Concord there had only been small unorganized conflicts between the British and the Americans. These conflicts had caused strife between the two countries but a compromise could have been created. It is argued that the Revolutionary war had started before Lexington and Concord but it was not official. If the Americans had not fired back and surrendered, there was a chance that America could have avoided war but the compromise would have been in favor of the British. Because the Americans fired back, there was no turning back for them. They had just engaged the strongest country in the world in war. The Americans also showed that they could defend themselves very well. Before this battle, the British viewed the American soldiers as scrappy farmers with second hand weapons. They also did not think that they had adequate leadership or numbers either. They expected to march into Lexington and Concord with little or no conflict and achieve their goal easily. They were very wrong. When the British soldiers were in Concord, the Americans pushed them back with ease. This surprised the British a lot. Hugh Percy, a British officer described the Americans by saying “During the whole affair, the rebels attacked us in a very scattered, irregular manner, but with perseverance and resolution, nor did they ever dare to form into a regular body. Indeed they knew too well what was proper, to do so. Whoever looks upon them as an irregular mob, will find himself very much mistaken. They have men amongst them who know very well what they are about, having been employed as rangers against the Indians and Canadians, and this country being very much covered with wood, and hilly, is very advantageous for their method of fighting. '(Charles Rivers, location 240)”'' 'This statement proved the British assumptions about the American army wrong much to their disappointment. The aftermath of Lexington and Concord showed that the American army was organized and they had prepared a strategy. The British hoped that the Americans would have no idea how to fight and give up easily. The Americans actually had prepared a very effective strategy against the British style of warfare. They used a strategy called guerilla warfare which is a strategy were an army uses bunkers and surprise attacks against the opposing force. This strategy was incredibly effective against the British force. The British’s strategy was to march in lines and fire at the same time. Because the Americans were behind bunkers, they could easily pick off the uncovered British force without losing numbers of their own. Also as the British were marching back to Boston, the American soldiers would hide behind trees and shoot at the easily visible British that were dressed in their bright red uniforms. The Americans used their knowledge of the landscape to their advantage. Coming into the war, the British’s strategy was to overwhelm the Americans and end the war quickly. The Americans had another plan though. They wanted a war of attrition which is to make the war last as long as possible and eventually the British would tire and give up. By defeating the British they proved that their strategy could work. Conclusion The Battle of Lexington and Concord was very important to the success of the Americans and an early turning point in the war. In the beginning of the war, the British were predicted to beat the Americans in the war easily but these battles tipped the scale a little more in America’s favor. America had shown that they could defend their ground against the British. They proved that they had good leadership that could come up with good strategies. From the start the British found out that this would not be a war won without a fight. Bibliograghy McDougal Littell Inc., M. St. Clair Clarke and Peter Force. Class Zone. McDougal Littell Inc., web. http://www.classzone.com/books/wh_05_shared/pdf/WHS05_022_641_PS.pdf Steele, Henry, and Morris B. Richard. "Battle at Lexington Green, 1775." ''Battle at Lexington Green, 1775. Ibis Communications, Inc., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/lexington.htm "Britannica School." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. http://school.eb.co.uk/levels/advanced/article/48042 Rivers, Carles. History for Kids: The Battles of Lexington and Concord. N.p.: Charles Rivers Editors, n.d. Web. . "Lexington and Concord, Battles of." World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar753933&st=lexington+and+concord Edwards, Ben. "A Loyalist’s Account: Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill." Battle Of Lexington And Concord. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. http://teachhistory.com/tag/battle-of-lexington-and-concord/ "Battles of Lexington and Concord." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. http://www.history.com/topics/battles-of-lexington-and-concord